Tractor-wheel



C. A. SLOCUM.

TRACTOR WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.30 ,19IP

1,338,105. Patented Apr. 27, 192i),

W/fA/ESSES V llVl/E/VTUR Ca l. Slocum I 76"., 15 BY I A TTOR/VEYS CONRAD A. sLocUivr, or HASWELL, ooLoaano.

v TRACTOR-WHEEL.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, CONRAD, A SLOCUM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of' Haswell, in the county of Kiowa and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved TractonWheel, of which the following is a 'full, .clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to tractor wheels and related appliances, my more particular purpose .being to provide a tractor Wheel made up of parts movable relatively .to each ether and so arranged as to ive the tractor wheel a comparatively large earin surface "where it engages the ground, in orc er toincrease the grip of the wheel uponthe ground and reduce the packing of the soil.

More particularly stated I seek to produce atractor wheel comprising a revoluble but rigid inner member surrounded by a revoluble but flexible outer member, the latter-being so arranged that by distortion of its shape while in action it will spread out upon the ground and thus give a relatively large bearing surface, and consequently a better tractile eflect will be produced.

Reference is' made to' the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification and in which like referencecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several fig- Figure-l is a side elevation of the deviceas it appears when in ground.

Fig.2 is a section 1011 the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device engagement with the as it appears when-raised. out of engage-.

1 difiicultto bring many of the tractor lugs into gripping engagement with .thegroun d.

ment with the ground.

A tractor wheel isshown as mounted upon an axle 4; andcarries a collar 5 secured upon it and revoluble with it. The axle also carries-a spindle "6 providedwith a portion 7 of reduced diameter, and mounted upon this.

portion is afn'ut 8 and a washer 9.

A wheel 10 is carried by the spindle 6 and is mounted substantially midway between the ends thereof as indicated in- F ig. 2. This wheel is provided with a hub 11 and with a rim 12. v The hub 11 is secured by 10 turns with a positive motion caused by rotation of the axle 4:; The key 13 is provided with a portioh 13 extending parallel with the axis of the spindle 6 and sunken into the spindle as indicated by dotted lines Specmcation 01 Letters Patent.

slightlyinto S-shape are secured at their Patented Apr. 27, 192G;

Application filed January 30, 1919. Serial No. 274,002.

in Fig. 2.- The rim 12 is provided with notches 14 spaced equidistant, shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and'3. Encir clin'g the wheel 10 is a spring rim 15 having n'ormally a circular form as indicated in F ig. 3 but adapted tobe distorted by its own weight and by the position .of the wheel 10 carries a'number of anchor bars 16' each dis-- posedparallel withthe geometrical axis'of The spring rim also carriesa number of tread lugs 17 for engaging the ground. A number of metallic springs 18 each bent outer ends "to the spring rim and radiate in-' wardly therefrom. These springs are ar-. ranged in two groups as indicated in Fig. 2 and at their inner ends are secured a pair of annulanhubs 19 which are mounted loosely .upon' the spindle '6. a

The parts are so mounted and arranged that when the tractor wheel as a whole rests "upon-the ground, as indicated in Fig. 1, the spring rim is distorted, as'shown, so as toincrease the portion of it which engages the 'round and thus to virtually increase its caring surface relatively to the ground.

This. prevents the wheel from slipping.

In this connection it should be stated that ordinarily a tractor wheel carries a consid-. erable weight and because of this fact it has atendency to pack the ground immediately as indicated in-Fig. 1. The spring rim 15 I es the spring rim and secured rigidly to this rim.

under the wheel, thus rendering the ground exceedingly smooth, not only that but owing to'the area of contact between the ordinary tractor -wheel and the ground it is By my arrangement, however, owing to the distortion of the spring rim 15, quite a .number' of the tread lugs 1-7 are brought .-the wheel lO'is turned with a positivemoa key 13 to the spindle 6 so that the wheel tion. .The weight of the axle 4L and parts carried by it causes the springs 18 to change greatest-pulling strain, and tending to bend more abruptl at points where they are compressed endwise, as indicated in the lower portion-of Fig. 1. The net result is that these springs so press thespring rim 15 downwardly and outwardly at-the hottom of the device as to cause the increase.

in gripping power as above described be tween the tread lug: IT and the ground.

I do, not-limit myself to the pill t'ltlllill' mechanism here shown as variations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I clainiz' I 1. A tractor wlieel comprising a, rigid member of annular. form provided exter nally with notches, a resilient rim encircling said rigid member. anchor bars carried by said. resilient run and fashioned to lit intoanchor bars carried by said rim and fitting into said notches; a ph'iralit of leaf springs secured to said rim and extending radially inwardly therefrom, and a hub connected? with the inner ends of said leaf springs. 3. A device of the character described comprising: a rigid wheel provided upon its outer edge with notches extending parallel with its axis, a rim' made of resilient material and encircling-said wheel, a shaft extending! through the middle of said wheel, a

pair of hubs mounted upon said shaft and disposed upon opposite sides o'f'said wheel, lcat springs connected with said hubs and disposed iii-two groups, saidgroups being upon opposite sidesj'of said ,wheel, and a -1lll1 made of ,resilient materialand conliet'tttldYltll the outer ends of said springs,

i. device of the character described compris ng: a wheel provided upon its outer surface withnotchcs, a rinicncircling said wheel andanade: in a single ntegralypicce of resilient material so that said rim 1 ossesses resilicnov as well as tlexihilitv, anchor bars mounted upon the inner surface ofsaid rim forthe purpose of lll()\'1'll} "illl t() and out of.

said notches, leaf 'sprii'igrs connected with said rim and extendinginwardlytherefrom, said leaf springs being disposed in two groups. one grou-plieing upon each side. of said wheel, and an axle connected with'all of said springs and extending through said wheel..

coxi iii SLOCUM.- 

